


Lost

by hybryd0



Category: Power Rangers S.P.D.
Genre: Gen, Lots of Whump, Whump, mostly for Bridge but I spread it around
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-14
Updated: 2014-09-18
Packaged: 2018-01-12 07:40:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1183648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hybryd0/pseuds/hybryd0
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When communication is lost with the D-Squad the Rangers are sent to investigate. What they find is more than they expected and it may have dire consequences for more than one Ranger.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve decided to not only post this on AO3 but also hopefully improve on it. This is probably one of my favorite stories I’ve written and I hope I can apply my, in my opinion, improved writing skills to make it better. Don't let the WIP status scare you, this is a finished fic from my ff.net account that I'm just editing at posting here :)

Bridge had to admit he was surprised. There hadn't been a fight like this since before they went through SWAT training with Sergeant Silverback. The day had started out bad and just gotten worse as they kept getting called out for battle after battle. Despite soundly defeating each attack, the B-Squad was in a bad mood. It hadn't taken much, a badly timed meaningless question from Bridge had set off a chain of barbed insults that just kept getting nastier and nastier until the final nail was driven in.

"You should really learn when to shut up Bridge."

Bridge knew it was true, but hearing it from his best friend hurt pretty deeply. He had shot Sky a wounded look before quickly retreating from the Common Room. He knew that his rambling could be annoying, but there were also times when it helped to break the tension and lighten the mood. Not this time. He had only made the situation worse and their overwhelming negative emotions were really starting to make his head pound.

But it wasn't just the Rangers in a bad mood. The whole base was thrumming with tension. The D-Squad had been sent to the nearby mountains for their survival training, but something had gone wrong. The instructors there had failed to make contact on the last three check in times. Everyone was worried and anxious and all the high emotions were giving Bridge a headache.

"Rangers to the Command Room."

Bridge groaned. The last thing they needed was another attack. Nonetheless he obediently made his way to the Command Room, silently meeting up with the rest of the team halfway there. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sky looking at him, but he ignored the him. He put a little space between himself and the rest of the team as they entered the Command Room and stood in a line before Commander Cruger.

"Rangers, I fear something has happened to D-Squad. I'm sending you to investigate," Cruger said, cutting right to the chase. "Dismissed."

SSJZBSAK

The shuttle touched down with a gentle thump and Bridge quickly exited. In the confines of the shuttle the negative emotions had made his head hurt so bad he’d become nauseous. The fresh air helped to clear his head a little, but Bridge knew it would take more than that for him to feel completely better. On instinct he opened his mouth to make some kind of off the wall comment about the mountains and the cold weather, but remembered Sky's words and shut his mouth. If Sky wanted him to learn when to shut up, then he was going to do exactly that.

"This is where they were supposed to have camped," Jack said as they spread out.

The camp was deserted. The tents were trashed and equipment was strewn everywhere. Bridge knelt down and examined the ground where the snow had been melted and the dirt below it scorched. There were lots of other marks like that and some on trees as well. He didn't need to do a scan to know what had caused it.

"Krybots," He announced without thinking.

"Lots of them if all these footprints are any indication," Sky added. Bridge glanced at the Blue Ranger to find him examining the ground the same way he was. "There's some blood too, but not a lot."

"Guys, over here!" Syd called.

The team flocked to her side behind a fallen tree. There they found a young man sprawled face down in the snow with blood oozing from a shot to the back. Instantly the three original members of B-Squad--the only ones with certified medic training--began working together to patch the boy up. Syd went and retrieved a backboard from the shuttle and together Sky and Bridge maneuvered him to lay on his side on it. They carried the boy into the shuttle, careful not to jostle him too much. Sky stayed behind to finish up while Bridge went back outside to look for more wounded cadets. Seeing how serious one cadet was wounded he decided to use a foolproof method of finding out exactly what happened. He stripped off the glove on one hand and waved it in the air.

Fear and panic almost overwhelmed him and made him gasp aloud. He fell to his knees as he struggled to push the lingering emotions aside and actually "see" what happened. He ignored his teammates as he viewed the blurry, but accurate residual energy that showed the fate that had befallen the D-Squad and the two survival-training instructors. Only the last few minutes of the fight were left, but what he saw made his stomach turn. He saw the regular Krybot foot soldiers leading the captured cadets and instructors away with two Orangeheads leading the way just outside of the vision. He saw one of the cadets make a break for it and watched as one of the Krybots shot the fleeing boy.

Bridge hurriedly pulled his glove back on and gathered his senses around him once more. The vision had been powerful despite having happened hours ago and the emotions had been intense. It took a long while before he could think straight and he realized with a start that Z was knelt at his side with Jack standing in front of him, Syd bent over at his other side, and Sky standing behind him.

"They were captured. The Krybots led them that way." Bridge pointed without looking. "They were all alive then, but it's been hours and who knows what's happened since then." He cut himself off before he started rambling. His head hurt too much for that.

Jack let all the information they had gathered so far sink in. They were dealing with a hostage situation, probably extremely volatile. There was something not quite right about it though, he couldn't put his finger on it. All he knew was that there were people depending on B-Squad for a rescue and he was going to see to it that they got it.

"Syd, stay here and guard the shuttle until the medvac gets here," Jack ordered. "Bridge, I want you to lead us to them."

Bridge wanted to say no, tell them that his head hurt too much, but working through pain was part of being a Ranger. Instead he silently did as he was ordered and took his glove back off so that he could follow the dissipating energy signatures. His head immediately started to throb, but he pushed it to the side and lead his teammates into the forest.

SSJZBSAK

An hour later and one grueling trek up the side of a mountain the four Rangers found themselves staked outside of an encampment of some kind. They could see the cadets and instructors being kept inside a compartment that looked suspiciously like the one Thresher and Stench had kept Cruger and Omega trapped in. Krybots were patrolling the area while two Orangehead Krybots stood guard in front of the compartment.

"They've got the place secured pretty well," Z murmured, taking in the scene.

"I don't like it," Sky said. "This is too easy. Why would they keep them right out in the open like this?"

Jack scanned the area once more and could only come up with one conclusion. "They're expecting us. This is a trap."

"Yeah, but where's the trap? All I see are the basic grunts that we could beat with our hands tied behind our backs," Sky said. His sharp eyes were scanning the area, brow furrowed in concentration, but he couldn’t see the trap.

Bridge didn't like it. There was no cover for them to sneak under. It was all out in the open and once they made themselves known there would be no place to hide if things went downhill. And there was no way it wasn’t going to go downhill, quickly. A psychic scan of the area didn't show anything helpful. If it was a trap it was either a really, really good one or the worst he had ever seen.

"So, what's the plan?" Z asked, glancing at Jack.

"There's no way for us to sneak in," Jack surmised, wishing the encampment was closer to the cliff wall so they could repel in behind. As it was there were patrols all around and any movement toward the encampment was sure to be spotted. "We've got to hit 'em fast and hard. If we take too long they might execute the hostages."

"I can see the forcefield panel from here," Sky said, glancing over the rock outcropping they were hiding behind. "One clear shot and they'd be free."

"Free to get caught in the crossfire," Jack retorted. "They're safer there while we take care of the Krybots." He was silent as he lifted his head enough to look at the encampment once more. It was a trap, he knew that much, but he couldn't see where the trap was going to come from. They couldn't just blunder into it, but they couldn't let their fellow cadets and the two instructors stay prisoners. "I have a plan, but it's going to be risky."

"Risks are a part of the job," Sky said.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do..."

It took a few minutes of arguing and revising the plan until they had something that all four of them agreed on enough to put into action. Z's eyes flashed as she created two replicants and then sent them over the outcropping and straight toward the encampment. The four listened as the battle began and Z's replicants drew all the attention to themselves. Jack put the next part of his plan in action as he put one hand on Z's shoulder and the other on Sky's while Sky put his hand on Bridge's shoulder connecting them all. 

Summoning his power Jack pushed it through the connections making all of them phase right through the rock. As soon as they passed through Sky threw up a shield and all four of them rushed forward. Z's replicants had successfully separated the Krybots into two groups with a large gap in between. The team rushed right through the gap and toward the remaining two Orangehead Krybots. Sky continued to hold up the shield as the other three morphed.

"SPD Emergency!" There was only a breath's pause before they called out again. "SWAT mode!"

By the time they reached the two Orangehead Krybots Sky let down his shield and side stepped so that his morphed teammates blasted the two Orangeheads. A blast from behind reminded them of the other Krybots. As they turned to face them they were faced with ten times as many Krybots as there had been before, including a dozen Blueheads as well as several more Orangeheads. Sky quickly morphed and joined his teammates as they stood defiantly before the overwhelming odds.

"Z, make sure none of them get to the prisoners," Jack ordered. He pointed his delta enforcer toward the army of Krybots and Bridge and Sky followed suit. "Charge!"

The three male Rangers ran forward with their delta enforcers firing away. The Krybots charged as well and the real battle began. The Rangers managed to diminish the number of enemy troops a little by the time the fight turned physical, but there were still a great many   
Krybots. The three were instantly separated from one another as they fought against the hordes. Z fired continuously from her post before a wave of Krybots reached her too.

SSJZBSAK

Syd was just going into the shuttle to check on the injured cadet when she heard him moan. Upon entering the cramped medbay of the shuttle she found him awake and surprisingly lucid. He gave her a small smile which she returned as she moved to stand beside his bed.

"How do you feel Cadet?" Syd asked.

"Surprisingly not bad," he said. "Must be the morphine."

"Do you remember what happened?" Syd asked.

The cadet's eyes darkened. "They struck out of nowhere. Instructor Reece and Instructor Nelson-Reece were able to hold off the Krybots for a while until something new entered the fight. Some kind of invisible enemy beat them both. The Krybots were leading us away when I tried to make a break for the communication equipment and the last thing I remember is a searing pain and flying through the air."

"Something invisible?" Syd repeated.

"Yeah, whatever it was Instructor Reece and Instructor Nelson-Reece couldn't fight it."

Sydney's heart leapt into her throat. Whatever had defeated two of the toughest instructors was still out there. Out there with her unsuspecting teammates. She had to warn them. She pulled her morpher and flipped it open.

"Guys! There's some kind of invisible enemy running around!"

There was no response.

"Jack? Can you hear me, please respond!"

There was an earsplitting crackle of static and Syd felt her stomach plummet. Something was blocking the communication. She had no way of warning her teammates about the threat stalking them. All she could do was hope that the medvac arrived soon so that she could join her teammates in time to save them.

SSJZBSAK

Bridge spun in a circle with his delta enforcer outstretched in front of him and took down the Krybots around him. He moved to help Sky when something clotheslined him to the ground. The Green Ranger quickly got to his feet, but a kick to his chest made him stumble back and something hard struck him across the faceplate, taking him to one knee. He was struck under the chin hard enough to launch him into the air before he landed hard on his back. The attack was so intense and so quick that he didn't have a chance to call for help. In the time it took him to draw a breath he was laid out and near unconsciousness, barely holding on to his morph.

Jack was putting his all into the battle as usual when he was struck from behind. He spun with his delta enforcer outstretched to strike whatever was there, but was faced with empty space. He had just enough time to wrinkle his eyebrows in confusion before his head snapped back from a forceful hit. Stars swam in his vision as a strike to his chest not only sent him flying, but knocked the breath out of him as well. He struggled to get back up, but a kick to the chest sent him tumbling to land a few feet before Z. He caught his breath as he stumbled to his feet.

"Z, get them back to the shuttle!" Jack ordered.

Sky battled fearlessly against the army of Krybots around him. He used a combination of physical fighting and well timed shots from his delta enforcer to take out a good amount of soldiers around him. Then something surprising happened. One of his shots missed the intended Krybot, but it didn't miss completely. Something shimmered in the air and then became visible. It was a sleek Greenhead Krybot that actually looked like the head had been inspired by Bridge's ranger helmet without the red lights on the sides with a visor was red instead of black. It looked heavily armored and slow, but Sky knew that looks could be deceiving and he wasn't making any assumptions about this new threat.

"Just what we need another Krybot," Sky muttered. He pointed his delta enforcer at the new Krybot, but the Greenhead lunged forward with surprising speed, blades flashing out of its wrists. It swung one bladed hand and knocked the gun aside and threw Sky off balance as well. The other blade whistled around and slashed across the Blue Ranger's back and Sky fell to the ground.

Jack saw the danger his teammate was in and aimed his delta enforcer at the Greenhead's back. Z followed suit, ready to help her teammate. As they fired the Krybot swung around and used the blades to deflect the shots into the mountain side. It wasn't much, but it was enough to give Sky the opportunity to roll away. The three Rangers regrouped, but were surprised when the Krybot suddenly shimmered and disappeared again. The three braced themselves for an attack that never came.

Bridge was struggling to his feet with his head still swimming when something hit him in the ribs. He was knocked into the air and then two powerful slashes slammed him into the ground again. He groaned and he reached out for his delta enforcer and just managed to grab it before his foot was yanked hard enough to drag him backwards. He twisted around and got off a few good shots bringing the Greenhead back into view. The Krybot made a sound that could have been a growl and used its grip on Bridge's foot to swing him around and threw him toward the outcropping of rocks. Bridge's instincts kicked in and as he tumbled he rolled to his feet. He looked around for his teammates in hopes that they could help him, but he found them battling Krybots and couldn't help.

"It's just you and me Green Ranger," The Greenhead said, its voice deep and menacing. "No one can help you now."

"I don't need help," Bridge snarled. He aimed his delta enforcer for a shot, but he Greenhead lunged forward and sliced the weapon in half. Bridge dropped the useless weapon and dodged away from the unrelenting assault from the Greenhead.

Sky saw the danger his friend was in, but there were too many Krybots for him to help. He was worried about his younger teammate; Bridge and the Greenhead were fighting only a few yards away from the edge. Bridge seemed to be doing a fairly good job of avoiding the Krybot's attacks, but nothing Bridge did in return seemed to have any kind of effect. In fact, he was furious to realize the Krybot was merely toying with the struggling Green Ranger.

Then there came a sound that made everyone stop, even the Krybots. A deep rumble filled the air and made the ground tremble. With terrible realization Sky looked up at the mountain and felt his heart skip a beat. Bearing down on them with terrifying speed was the last thing any of them wanted to see. It was an avalanche and it was almost too close for them to escape.

Jack reacted as quickly as he could. He knew there wasn't enough time to do anything for the people in the compartment behind him. The only thing he could do was save Z and Sky. Without hesitation he demorphed and grabbed his two teammates who followed his lead. 

The Krybots, who had some self-preservation programming, turned to try and run, but it was too late. The avalanche roared over the area with ferocious force. Jack demolecularized himself and his two teammates beside him. The thundering snow passed right through them, but not everyone was that lucky. Bridge and the Krybot were in the open with nowhere to go and nothing to save them.


	2. Chapter 2

The big metal compartment holding the cadets and instructors prisoner was the only thing that saved them. The snow slammed into it with more power than a runaway train. The compartment, not secured to the ground in any way, was bowled over. The walls screeched and bent as the pure power made the thick metal buckle. The people inside were knocked around as the avalanche forced the compartment to roll over several times before it seemed to choose a side. The snow pushed it across the ground and everyone inside was too banged around and disoriented to realize the true danger they were in. The compartment continued to slide until it slammed into the outcrop of rock near the edge. With a screech of metal it flipped over the outcropping to land with some of it hanging off the edge.

SSJZBSAK

Syd watched as the medics that arrived with the medvac loaded the injured cadet into the their shuttle while spouting off a bunch of medical terms she didn't have the time to listen to. She turned and scampered into the shuttle, intent on finding her teammates. She would never forgive herself if the last words she had said to any of them were ones of anger. They all meant so much more to her than she ever thought anyone could and to imagine them in danger without her there to help was heartbreaking to her. She quickly fired up the shuttle and was just about to lift into the air when she saw something that made her blood turn to ice. From several hundred yards back from the mountain she easily saw the avalanche that rumbled down the side.

Syd stared in horror. Please don't let them have been in that. Please let them be safe. She came back to herself, realizing that if they had gotten caught in the avalanche she needed to rescue them. Her training kicked in and she forced the shuttle into the air and toward the disaster, all the while praying her friends were safe.

SSJZBSAK

Z and Jack immediately moved toward the compartment while Sky stood rooted to his spot. Bridge. His teammate, roommate, and best friend was gone. The sheer power of the avalanche had to have taken the Green Ranger over the side of the mountain. The climb up had been somewhat steep, so the fall down would not be easy on Bridge's fragile human body. The only hope for Bridge's survival was that he had stayed morphed after the avalanche hit. It did take quite a hit to make a Ranger demorph unwillingly, but an avalanche probably had enough power behind it. Sky felt sick to his stomach. The last thing he had said directly to Bridge was for him to learn when to shut up. This was not what he had in mind.

"Oh Bridge."

"Sky," Jack yelled. "Come help us before this thing goes over the side!"

Sky shook himself out of his stupor and rushed to his two teammates. As soon as he got there he realized the problem. The control panel for the forcefield was hanging over the edge and there would be no easy way of getting to it. A shot to the panel could deactivate it or frazzle the circuit so that they couldn't get them out. They couldn't take a chance like that.

Sky moved around the ledge a little more so that he could see inside. Most of the people looked alright. Two cadets appeared to be unconscious and another obviously had a broken arm. The two instructors were moving about carefully, trying to check on the students. But it broke his heart to see that one of the cadets had broken his neck in the tumbling and was quite obviously dead. Someone was going to pay for that. A few others appeared to have minor injuries that weren't emergencies, but still needed to be looked at.

"What do we do?" Z asked.

Jack bit his lip as he considered the situation. The metal was too thick to cut open. The panel was too far over the edge for them to reach and crawling across the top of the compartment was out of the question. Too much weight could easily tip it over the side and none of the people inside would survive that. There really was only one option. They needed the shuttle they had come in. Jack pulled his morpher and flipped it open.

"Syd, we need you to bring the shuttle to the East side of the mountain."

A squeal of static answered him. Jack shared a worried look with Z and Sky. All animosity between them had been washed away with the tide of snow. At the forefront of their minds they were worried about the cadets and instructors and now Sydney, but at the back of their minds they had to wonder if their green companion was still alive.

Just as the three Rangers were starting to lose hope they heard the comfortingly low murmur of a shuttle seconds before it came up from below the ridge. Syd waved at the three from inside and they waved back. Syd used the shuttle's speakers to communicate with her teammates.

"Is everyone okay?"

"No, there are some injured cadets inside that compartment," Jack said. "We need you to lower the winch!"

"Where's Bridge?" Syd asked, ignoring the order.

"Lower the winch Syd," Jack repeated. He knew there wasn't time to deal with emotions.

Syd did as she was told and the bottom of the shuttle opened and with a mechanical whir the winch lowered enough for Z to grab it. The Yellow Ranger looked at the hook on the end of the winch and then at the compartment before looking at her two male teammates.

"How exactly are we supposed to do this? I don't see anyplace to hook this. If we wrap it around the end then as soon as she lifts it up it'll slip right out."

Jack and Sky exchanged a glance. Both of them knew how this was going to play out. They did a quick rock, paper, scissors to see who would do it. Neither of them ever wanted to let one of their teammates carry out a dangerous mission. Sky won and without hesitation he pulled his morpher.

"SPD Emergency!" In a flash of blue light he stood before them morphed and ready. "Hook it under my belt."

Z hesitated for only a second before she did as he ordered. The hook fit snugly under his belt and once she was sure it was secure she patted him on the shoulder. Sky gave Jack a thumbs up to indicate he was ready to go. Jack then made a motion that told Syd to winch Sky up. The winch slowly began to pull up and a few minutes later Sky was lifted off his feet. Syd carefully maneuvered Sky through the air until he was hovering right in front of the control panel. It required a code.

Sky hissed angrily before a thought struck him. "Instructors, did anyone see the access code?"

"I didn't," Instructor Reece said.

"4-7-2-6-8-3-6-4-2-1-8-4-9-2-1-0," One of the cadets said.

Sky’s helmet hid his surprise, though he didn’t keep it completely out of his voice as he asked the cadet to repeat it slow enough for him to enter it. The panel flashed green and the force field deactivated. Immediately the two Instructors inside helped the surviving cadets out and with the help of Z and Jack they began to check the cadets for injuries. There were some broken bones and a few concussions, but other than the one cadet that had been killed, there were no real serious injuries.

Syd was just about to move Sky back over the ground when the shuttle's alarms blared an intruder warning. She gasped and spun the seat around and found a new Purplehead Krybot charging for her. She kicked up both her feet and caught the robot in the chest. It made a hissing sound and grabbed her feet, pulling her out of the chair. She hurriedly reached down and pulled her blaster and got off one good shot. The Krybot was knocked backwards and it gave Syd enough time to get up. The Purplehead recovered quickly and kicked Syd's morpher out of her hand before she could morph. Both of them were thrown to the side as the unmanned shuttle veered off course and out of control.

Still hanging below the shuttle Sky gave a cry of surprise as the shuttle veered away from the safety of the ground. Without thinking he looked down and immediately wished he hadn't. He was high enough up that he wouldn't survive a straight fall and the shuttle was moving further away from the relative safety of the steep, but not as deadly, incline of the mountain. It was too late for him to release himself. He only had two choices to save himself. Climb up the winch into the back of the shuttle or wait until it got close enough to the ground to safely release himself. It wasn't a hard choice. If he could get inside the shuttle he might be able to help Syd fix whatever problem she was having. That was easier said than done. The rope was behind him and attached to his back, so there was no easy way for him to grab it and climb up it. It was going to take a lot of skill and even more luck.

Standing on the ridge, Z and Jack could only watch in horror as the shuttle zoomed drunkenly away as if no one was in control. Z tried to talk to Syd via her morpher, but she was still answered with static. There was nothing they could do except watch on and pray that they didn't lose anymore teammates.

Inside the shuttle Syd was struggling against the powerful Purplehead Krybot. She hadn't been able to morph yet and her blaster was out of range as well. The shuttle was bucking crazily without a pilot, but the Krybot seemed to be handling it much better. It managed to land a kick to Syd's head that sent her crashing against the wall. She fell to the floor and didn't move. The Purplehead then turned and started toward the open cargo bay where the winch had been sent down. With a smooth metallic sound one arm transformed into a devastating looking cannon.

"SPD Emergency!"

The Purplehead spun back around and ducked a wild punch to the face. In that position it lunged forward and slammed Syd backwards. The Pink Ranger retaliated by pulling her Deltamax Striker and she stuck it across the head with the buttstock. The robot wasn't affected in the least and kneed her hard in the gut. Syd grabbed an overhead bar and kicked the Purplehead square in the chest. The robot stumbled back a bit and she kicked it again, sending it flying against the wall. The shuttle tilted dangerously and even though she knew it was risky she rushed for the pilot seat. She was just able to grab the control and pull it out of the dive it had been on, but not hit the autopilot, when the Krybot wrapped an arm around her neck and yanked her out of the seat. Syd kicked and struggled, but now that it had her in its grasp it was too strong for her to escape.

"Now you die little Ranger." The Krybot hissed.  
"You first."

The Krybot's head was blown off by the point blank shot. The arm around Syd's neck loosened and without sparing a glance at Sky she leapt into the pilot's seat. She pulled the shuttle back under control and then turned on the autopilot. With the threat gone she leaned back in the seat and caught her breath. She spared Sky a brief look as the Blue Ranger dropped into the co-pilots chair.

"Are you okay?" Sky asked.

Syd let out a shaky breath. That was the closest to death she had ever come. "I'll be alright." She paused and looked down at the path of destruction the avalanche had left. "I'll be better when we find Bridge."

"Yeah." Sky agreed softly. He didn't want to point out the fact that it was highly likely that they wouldn't find Bridge alive. Despite what people thought of him, he wasn't heartless. "C'mon Syd, Jack and Z need the shuttle."

"Right."

Back on the ground Z and Jack watched as the shuttle headed back their way. It had killed them to only be able to stand around and watch as both of their teammates were in peril. They had both been impressed when Sky had flipped himself upside down and used his impressive upper body strength to push himself up the chain and into the shuttle. They had held their breath when he disappeared inside as the shuttle was plummeting toward the ground. They breathed a little easier with the shuttle stable and headed back to them.

"I told him all those rope climbing exercises would come in handy," Instructor Reece said proudly.

"You told him a lot of things Sebastien, most of them you heard from me first," Instructor Nelson-Reece teased, trying to lighten the mood.

"How can you joke around at a time like this?" One of the cadets demanded. "Someone is dead, we're all banged up, and one of the Rangers is missing and probably dead."

Jack opened his mouth to reprimand the cadet, but Instructor Reece beat him to it. "Cadet Thomis that is enough. No one needs to be reminded of the severity of the situation. It’s not healthy to dwell on the negative. Now, you will apologize to your fellow cadets, to me and Instructor Nelson-Reece, and to the Rangers for your rude and unprofessional behavior."

"I'm sorry," The boy mumbled.

"I don't think anyone heard you boy!" Reece barked.

"I said I'm sorry!"

Jack and Z shared a look. Their three teammates had made note a few times of how the survival training had been the toughest part. Now they understood why. Instructor Reece looked simply fierce as he glared down the sulking cadet. It made them glad that they had been able to skip doing all the training the original members of the B-Squad had.

The shuttle buzzed over their heads and landed back in the now abandoned enemy encampment. The two Rangers and the two Instructors helped the cadets over the outcropping and toward the shuttle. Sky and Syd were already standing outside waiting for them. Everyone helped get the cadets settled before they stepped outside to talk.

"We need to get the cadets back to base," Jack said.

Instructor Reece gave him a slightly disapproving look before replying. "No, we need to get them back to base. You four have a teammate missing and your duty is to him."

"He's depending on you," Instructor Nelson-Reece added.

SSJZBSAK

When the avalanche hit Bridge was swept away with it. It carried him over the edge and through a steep, but not fatal drop. He was knocked unconscious somewhere during the first half. It then kept pushing him down the rest of the mountain through some jagged rocks, a few long drops, and then a 130-foot free fall into a raging river. Had he hit solid ground his powers probably wouldn't have been enough to save him, but the water cushioned the blow and he remained morphed. His unconscious body was carried away by the swift waters within minutes he was several miles away from where the avalanche had deposited him.

He drifted in and out of consciousness for a while. There were brief images of big rocks and being deep underwater during consciousness and dark room and hurtful words in unconsciousness. He wasn't awake when the rapids led him over a waterfall, but that was the last thing his suit could take without him lending conscious power to it. He was lucky enough to escape the undertow of the waterfall and in semi-consciousness managed to grab a log to float on.

Pain was the first thing he recognized when he fought his way to muddled wakefulness. He felt like he'd been put through a dishwasher and washing machine at the same time. His body was sore and his head felt like it was filled with cotton. He couldn't even remember what had happened at first, but things slowly came back to him; the search and rescue mission that had turned into a hostage situation, the battle for those hostages, and the last thing he remembered clearly was an avalanche mowing him down and sweeping him away.

Bridge used his feet to paddle toward the riverbank as the tried to sort out what to do next. He sprawled on his back as he took note of the situation. He was separated from his teammates and completely lost. A glance down at his sides didn't improve the situation any as he found both his morpher and his blaster gone. He was soaked to the bone and there was enough of a chilly wind to worry him about hypothermia.

"Ironic that I'm going to have to use the survival training I was taught by the people I came to rescue," Bridge said to himself.

He sat up and was kneeling on one knee when something strange caught his eye. Before he could get a really good look the water exploded upwards. Bridge scrambled backwards as a green figure dropped onto the riverbank in front of him. His heart thundered in his chest as he stared in disbelief. It was the Greenhead Krybot and Bridge had no way to morph.


	3. Chapter 3

"Well, well Green Ranger. You're in quite a predicament," The Greenhead Krybot taunted.

Bridge knew he was in trouble. With only his psychic ability to aide him his chances of winning a fight were very low. He needed to find an advantage somehow. A quick glance around was futile. There was nothing in the immediate area that could help him. His next thought was that he needed to get away and quick, but he didn't get a chance. The Greenhead lunged at him with its blades extended and ready. Bridge rolled to the side, but the Greenhead swung one bladed hand to the side and sliced Bridge's shoulder eliciting a sharp cry of pain from the teen.

"I'm going to slice you to pieces," The Krybot said with so much malice in its robotic voice it made Bridge shiver down to his core.

Bridge rolled to his feet with a hand on his bleeding shoulder and dodged to the side as the Krybot lunged, but the agile robot swung around to the side and slashed a neat line across Bridge's side. That was the last thing Bridge could take and without a second glance at the robot he turned and fled into the forest. Behind him he could hear the Krybot cackling as it gave chase.

This is not good. I'm soaked to the bone and probably well on my way to hypothermia, but I'll probably bleed to death first if that Krybot doesn't catch me before all that. I'm cut off from my teammates with no way of contacting them and getting more and more lost as the seconds go by. What else could go wrong?

At that moment his foot caught on a tree root and he went tumbling headfirst down a hill. He landed flat on his back with the breath knocked out of him and staring up the hill as the Greenhead launch itself into the air and descend toward him with all its blades ready to impale him. At the last possible second Bridge rolled to the side and listened as the blades sunk into the ground. He swung around and used both feet to kick the Krybot in the head with all his might and the Greenhead fell still, he knew it was only offline and he doubted it would be for that long.

It was a breather Bridge desperately needed and he knew he needed to do something about a permanent solution, but all he really wanted to do was sit down catch his breath. In the end he swallowed his need to rest and looked around for a weapon of some kind. To his dismay all he found was a rather large tree branch, but his injured shoulder gave a painful jolt when he tried to use it. He settled on hefting the branch up with his good arm, but he knew he wouldn't be able to swing it as hard as he could with both hands. That didn't stop him from trying and he lifted the branch high, swinging down as hard as he could at the Krybot's head. Bridge gasped as the Krybot snapped one bladed hand up and sliced through the branch.

"Nice try little Ranger," The Krybot sneered.

Bridge didn't stick around any longer. He dropped the branch in his hand and started running again. He was trying to stave off panic, it wouldn't do him any good, but he was injured, lost, freezing, and being chased by some kind of super Krybot. Panic was on the edge of his mind as things kept looking worse and worse for him.

SSJZBSAK

Gruumm was more than a little pleased with the turn of events. The Greenhead Krybot had been created in the Green Ranger's image for a reason. After seeing how the Green Ranger's teammates had reacted to his abduction by Bork, Gruumm had decided to make him a target. When specifying what he wanted to Broodwing he had demanded better stealth technology than Thresher and Stench had used, but also that he wanted Korrin Crystals to be used to block the Green Ranger's psychic abilities. The Krybot had been created to handle any Ranger it was faced with, but it was specifically programmed to make the Green Ranger its main target.

To see how well it worked was extremely satisfying. The Greenhead had the Green Ranger separated from his teammates and on the run. To top it all off, the rest of the Ranger team was heading into parts of the forest with all sorts of nasty surprises waiting for them. Everything they had suffered so far was only the beginning.

SSJZBSAK

Anubis Cruger was not pleased. Two shuttles had returned already, but not his Rangers. The news that the two instructors had brought back with them was disheartening and the fact that they still couldn't contact the Rangers was unnerving. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach and wanted to be out there with them, but with Sam off on a mission he couldn't leave New Tech City undefended. However, there was something he could do.

"Instructor Reece?"

The middle aged instructor saluted. "Sir?"

"I want you to take a shuttle and deliver RIC to the Rangers."

"What if I can't find them sir?"

"RIC will find them on his own," Anubis replied. "Time is of the essence. Go as   
quickly as you can."

"Yes sir!"

SSJZBSAK

Sky was dismayed by the amount of damage the avalanche had done. How could Bridge survive something like this? He wasn't sure even the Ranger powers would have been enough to save his friend's life. They were having a tough enough time climbing down using the repelling gear, he couldn't imagine what a tumble down the side would have been like. It was taking them several hours to get down, it was hard to believe Bridge had made the same descent in just a few minutes. He was soothed just a little to know that the Greenhead probably hadn't survived.

"He survived," Z said, catching everyone's attention.

"How do you know?" Sky demanded.

Z glanced over at him and even though she was morphed he imagined an exasperated look on her face. "I just know."

"I just wish we could contact Delta Command. They would be able to tell us where he is," Syd spoke up.

"Unless that's blocked too," Jack said.

"There's something really fishy about this whole situation," Z mused. "That Greenhead looked like an altered version of Bridge's suit, except for the blades of course."

"But why target Bridge? Why not me? Or Sky? Either of us would make more sense," Jack argued.

"Because it wasn't an attack against our strength, but against our weakness," Sky said, voicing his realization as he came to it. He planted his feet on a ledge and held up his hands to wave off any arguments. "I'm not meaning that Bridge is weak, guys. Think about it. Who has been the glue holding this team together since the beginning? Who has made more of an effort to befriend everyone on the team?"

"Bridge is our emotional center," Z said, catching on to what Sky was getting at. "Gruumm is making a strike at the heart of the team, not the body."

"I bet he got the idea from Bork. I bet he loved how desperate we were to get Bridge back," Jack growled.

"I don't think we should assume that Bridge is the only target here. That Purplehead nearly caused me to crash the shuttle and Sky and I both would have been killed," Syd said.

"We definitely need to stay on our toes," Jack agreed.

He had barely finished his sentence when the world around them exploded. Sky's cable was frayed, but still held while an explosion completely snapped Z's cable. She shrieked in fright as she started to fall, but Jack reacted quickly and grabbed her hand. Several more explosions rocked the cliff face they were hanging on and Sky's cable frayed a little more. Rocks pounded on them from above as Syd finally turned enough to see what was going on. Two miniature purple jets were zooming around and taking potshots at them. Syd looked past Sky to Jack as the Red Ranger struggled to hold onto his friend.

"We've got to go all the way down Jack!" Syd yelled.

"Right behind you!" Jack called back. He looked down at Z. "Hold on Z, we're going down fast!"

With that the three Rangers released their clamps and began to quickly descend. Sky felt his line give way a little bit and looked up. His heart skipped a beat at what he saw. One of the jets had transformed itself into a Purplehead Krybot and was holding onto Sky's line. The Blue Ranger could only watch helplessly as the robot looked down at him and its red eyes flashed once before it released the line. Sky gave a shout of fear as he was suddenly plummeting 120ft to the river below. 

Suddenly his line snapped taut and he was jerked to a stop. He looked up in hopes that maybe Syd had grabbed his line, but instead his heart sank as he saw one of the purple jets had snagged his cable.

"Since hitting the river saved your green friend, I think I'm going to make sure you don't survive." The jet announced to him.

Even though he was facing certain doom, Sky felt hope spark inside when he heard that Bridge had survived the fall. Then his heart sank to his feet as he realized he wasn't going to get a chance to see Bridge again and apologize for the nasty things he had said. That spurred him into action. He was NOT going to die before he got a chance to make amends with his best friend. He grabbed the line and with one good yank was able to pull himself up enough to grab the jet itself with both hands and in an acrobatic move that would have impressed Bridge, Sky swung himself up and on top of the Krybot jet.

"Get off!" The jet shrieked.

Sky pulled his delta enforcer and pointed it at the jet's head. "Take me to the ground."

"I'll take you to the ground all right," The jet snarled.

Before Sky could react the jet transformed into its robot form and began to wrestle with him in mid-air. Sky felt his stomach lurch as he began to fall again, but this time he had the Purplehead for company. The robot was hissing and struggling to get the delta enforcer out of Sky's unbreakable hold, but Sky wasn’t about to let his weapon fall into the enemy's hands. The Krybot gave up on that plan and before Sky knew what was happening one of the Krybot's arms shifted into a sleek, powerful looking cannon that it jabbed in his stomach. All he had time to do was gasp before the Krybot fired and Sky knew no more.

SSJZBSAK

Bridge could hardly breathe. He had been running for hours on end and it was to no avail. If he faltered at all the Greenhead was all over him. The Krybot didn't have to stop and rest like he did, itt could chase him until its power source ran out and Bridge was sure he would collapse long before that happened.

"You can't keep running forever little Ranger. Why don't you just surrender?" The Krybot taunted. "You don't stand a chance."

As much as he didn't want to believe the Krybot, Bridge knew it was true. Something needed to change quickly or he was going to die. He was already shivering from head to toe from a combination of cold and blood loss. 

And therein lay another problem. Even when he did manage to get ahead of the Krybot enough to not hear it anymore, he knew he was leaving a nice trail for it to follow, but there was nothing he could do about that until he took care of the Krybot.

Just when Bridge was starting to lose hope, irony helped him along. He saw the trap due to his extensive training and was sure that the Krybot would know it was there too. However, the Krybot was close enough behind him that if he triggered it, maybe, just maybe...Bridge lunged forward and snapped the trip line. He leapt to the side as a huge tree trunk came swinging down and the Krybot was struck dead center in the middle of its chest and was slammed backward into another tree where it was pinned. 

Bridge couldn't believe his good luck, but didn't stop to enjoy it. He ran as fast as he could to put as much distance between himself and the Krybot as he could. He wasn't out of danger yet, but at least something was going his way.

SSJZBSAK

From way down on the ground there was nothing Z, Jack, or Syd could do but watch helplessly as the Purplehead dangled Sky by one leg. They were so high up in the sky they were almost specks. It seemed like the Krybot was just taunting them before it let go of Sky's foot and the demorphed Blue Ranger began to tumble to the ground. 

The two Purplehead Krybots then zoomed away, but the Rangers knew the Krybots would probably be back. Their immediate concern was saving Sky, but there didn't appear to be a way to do that. Even if one of them managed to catch him the shot from the Krybot had demorphed him. There was no way he'd survive the fall.

"This can't be happening," Jack said. After all that hard work to get him to open up, this is how it's going to end?

Suddenly something burst out of the tree line on the other side of the river and Jack couldn't believe his eyes. RIC bounded across the length of the river and landed beside the three surprised Rangers. He gave a mechanical yip and his head twisted up to look at Sky's tumbling body. Jack understood the look.

"Battilizer!" Jack called and as soon as the magna morpher snapped on his wrist he began the next phase. "Cyber mode!" As soon as the first mode was complete he instantly went to the next. "Sonic mode!"

"Go Jack!" The two girls exclaimed, seeing that Sky was getting closer to the ground.

Jack blasted into action, zooming into the air and straight for Sky. The Red Ranger leveled out his flight, swooped in, and caught his teammate with ease. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, except Jack who could immediately see the damage done by the Krybot's point blank shot. Even worse was the fact that he couldn't tell if the Blue Ranger was breathing or not, which hastened his descent back to the ground. As soon as his feet touched down, Jack knelt and laid Sky on the ground. It was immediately apparent his teammate was breathing and upon closer inspection he realized that the stomach wound wasn't as bad as it had seemed at first glance. It was bleeding slightly and the skin looked like there was at least a small patch of 2nd degree burns, but nothing fatal.

"Man, RIC got here just in time," Z said as she and Syd both checked Sky over with their own eyes. After the fear of losing him they both needed to reassure themselves that he was relatively okay. "Another few minutes and it would have been too late."

"Now let's hope we're not too late to save Bridge."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the long wait, I did Camp Nanowrimo last month and then was on vacation at the start of the month.

Bridge glanced down at his freshly bandaged arm. It was a makeshift bandage using the shirt he always wore under his jacket, but it would have to be good enough. He used his jacked to wrap around his side to try and stop the bleeding there. It had been a toss up between bleeding to death or freezing to death; he’d determined that he’d bleed to death first and decided to brave the cold in order to give himself a little more time. It wouldn't be much; unless he found a safe place to build a fire and warm himself up he was only going to last maybe another hour if he could push himself that hard.

But that was the question that he didn't know the answer to. Did he have the conviction to push himself that hard? Or did he even have the strength? He knew if stuck in his position Sky would never give up. He would soldier on and in spite of injuries and the cold; Sky was infinitely stronger and more capable of surviving something like this. Bridge didn't have a real problem with self-confidence and usually would never have given it thought that he couldn't make it, but his argument with Sky had created doubts in his mind that hadn't been there since he joined SPD. 

He wondered if Sky would even feel guilty for taking away some bit of his confidence in himself. He had thought Sky was his friend--best friend--but would a best friend say such nasty, undermining things even in anger? And why hadn't anyone defended him? Syd in the least could have spoken in his behalf, but she had only looked on with the same indifference as Jack and Z.

God how that had hurt to have the only people he could call friends totally betray his faith in them. Some small spiteful part of his mind hoped they were regretting everything now, but he squashed the thought. He wasn't going to sink to their level and wish bad things on them. Not to mention, he had said a few nasty things back at Sky, but nothing as confidence stealing as what Sky had said, but then he probably could have insulted his teammate until he was blue in the face and not put a dent in the Blue Ranger's confidence. If there was one thing he knew for sure about Sky it was that the Blue Ranger had no doubts about his own abilities.

Bridge snapped his mind out of the dark rut it had started to head into. Thoughts about his dwindling self-confidence were not going to be of any help now. Any other time he would have just let his mind wander and ramble on like it usually did. On a regular basis his mind was in several different places at once. A small portion of his mind was always working on trying to solve the mystery of Gruumms ultimate plan. The rest of it was usually split between things going on at the moment and other less important things. But when he focussed solely on one thing his mind had an amazing ability to find important, helpful details and discard the rest to solve problems.

His mind easily came up with the solution to his current problem. He needed to get a higher vantage point and figure out where exactly he was compared to where he had been. He needed to find out which side of the river he was on and which way he needed to head to get back to the mountain. All of that was easier said than done. The moment he tried to use his bad arm to climb agony flared through his shoulder and he fell to his knees as struggled to fight off the blackness swimming at the corners of his vision. There was no way he could climb up a tree high enough to see the landscape if he couldn't even get onto the first branch.

That idea was flung out the window and instead he started moving again. He was past the point of being able to keep up a steady jog, so he walked quickly between bursts of speed. He was sure he had put some distance between himself in the Krybot, but how much he couldn't exactly be sure. He was comforted by the fact that through his makeshift bandaging he was no longer leaving a blood trail, but he didn't know what kind of capabilities the Krybot had. 

Besides having stealth technology there was no telling what else it had. One thing for sure was that it had something that blocked it completely from his psychic abilities. He hadn't seen it in his psychic scans are sensed it in any way he normally would have sensed danger. That didn't sit well with him, but it was a problem to be dealt with later when he had the luxury of time and safety.

What he needed to focus on was getting back to the river. He stopped beside a fallen tree trunk and tore off one of his gloves. With a wave in the air he was immediately able to see his own residual energy and saw with disappointment that he had been doing circles for several minutes. However, his energy was still strong enough that he could follow the path, though he feared it might take him too close to the Krybot. He had no choice though, his only hope in finding his teammates was to head back the way he had come and go from there.

SSJZBSAK

They finally felt like they were on the right track. RIC's advanced tracking systems allowed him to follow the faintest of scents and also hear things that no one else could. The robotic dog could move a lot faster than his Ranger companions, especially with Jack carrying Sky in his arms, but RIC seemed to pace himself so that the humans could keep up.

"Man, Sky needs to lose a few pounds." Jack grunted, though it was more of a playful tone. As the morphed Red Ranger he could carry things heavier than Sky with no problem.

"Then he'll start cutting into that wonderful muscle." Syd argued. Both girls glanced at each other, but their twin smirks were hidden behind their helmets.

A peaceful silence fell on the group as they traveled quickly through the forest. Each of them had their own thoughts and worries about Bridge. The Purplehead had revealed that Bridge had indeed survived the fall off the mountain, but how long could he stay alive? The river was rough and if he had been demorphed he could have drowned, but RIC was leading them away from the river, so the Green Ranger had to have survived long enough to make his way away from the water. They all held hope that he was alive, but there were doubts and some doubted more than others.

A groan from Sky drew the group to a stop. Jack laid his teammate on the ground and they all stood around as the Blue Ranger woke up. His eyes slid open slowly and another groan escaped him before he could bite it back. He blinked a few times before his eyes focussed on his teammates standing around him. For a moment he tried to remember why he was on the ground and figure out why his stomach burned, but it all came back to him very quickly. The last thing he remembered was feeling something pressing into his stomach and then a bright flash and then darkness. What happened?

"RIC arrived just in time for me to call the battlizer and catch you." Jack explained, seeing the question on his friend's face. "How are you feeling?"

"Like a Krybot shot me point blank with a super powered cannon." Sky replied with a roll of his eyes.

"And this would be the point where Bridge would point out that a Krybot did shoot you at point blank before realizing that you are being a smartass." Z said as she and Jack helped the Blue Ranger to his feet.

Jack and Syd laughed softly and agreed, but Sky was silent. What Z said was true enough and it was kind of funny. What Sky couldn't help but think is what his reaction to Bridge's slow uptake would be. Sky would have graced his teammate with either an annoyed look or condescending smirk. Oh how he regretted how terrible he had been to Bridge. His younger teammate definitely hadn't deserved it. For the life of him Sky couldn't even figure out why he'd been so nasty. It didn't matter though. What mattered was that he had been so malicious to someone who he had considered a little brother on many occasions. What kind of friend was he?

"Sky?" Z's voice cut through the Blue Ranger's self-hatred.

"Let's go." Sky muttered and began to follow RIC. His three teammates shared a look before they followed him.

SSJZBSAK

Bridge felt his heart sink. His residual energy from earlier had faded and he was no longer sure which way to go. His only option was to try to keep going in the same direction he had been headed, but there was no guarantee that it would be the right way. Lost, injured, and alone Bridge felt worse than he ever had before. Being kidnapped by Bork had been scary and the shrinking room had almost taken his life, but this was worse. He was so cold his body was shivering violently in an attempt to keep him warm, but it wasn't working. His thoughts were muddled and more confusing than usual. Above all he felt the strong urge to lay down and go to sleep.

"Can't sleep. Gotta keep going. Gotta make it." Bridge told himself, not even realizing he was verbalizing his thoughts.

Suddenly something hard struck him in the back. Normally he would have tried to tuck into a roll and get right back to his feet, but his body didn't respond how it should have. Instead, Bridge hit the ground with a dull thump and couldn't breathe for several agonizing seconds. He was yanked to his feet and thrown roughly into a tree trunk. His ribs screamed from the abuse and he once again found he couldn't breathe properly. As he lay on his back looking up the Greenhead Krybot shimmered into view.

"You didn't think that tree was enough to take me out, did you?" The Greenhead sneered. "Because it's going to take a lot more than that."

Bridge knew he needed to move, to get away, but his body wouldn't listen. All his body wanted to do was rest and recuperate, which in his current state would probably mean he would go to sleep and not wake up. Bridge was ready to give up. He had done everything he could to survive, but in the end he just couldn't give enough.

"Maybe if we didn't spend so much time rescuing you we'd have beaten Gruumm by now."

Bridge knew deep in his heart that Sky hadn't meant it. In anger they had both said some pretty nasty things, but Sky's words came back to him in a critical moment. Just when he was about to give up those words sparked a new fire inside him. This time he was not going to require rescuing. He was going to save himself. No more running.

The Greenhead extended its dangerous blades and its visor flashed. With a malicious laugh the Krybot lunged. Bridge rolled to the side and the blades dug deep into the bark. The Green Ranger twisted around and gave the Krybot a powerful kick to the side. The Krybot growled in its weird mechanized way and jerked the blades free. The Greenhead pounced at Bridge, but Bridge planted his feet in the Krybot's chest and launched it into a tree. He then quickly got to his feet and for once he did the lunging. The Greenhead spun around and its blades sliced across Bridge's chest before it kicked him with enough force to send him flying back. Bridge hit the ground and rolled into the base of a tree. That was all his body could take. He didn't have the strength to get back up and continue the fight.

"It was a nice try, little Ranger, but not nearly enough." The Krybot taunted.

Bridge felt like his whole world was shattering around him. Here he was trying to prove that he didn't need rescuing and it was all backfiring in his face. There was nothing he could do. His resolve was crushed, his conviction to fight shot to pieces. Even if he had wanted to go on he just simply couldn't. There was no strength left in him.

"And now we end this little game."

SSJZBSAK

Sky was following RIC as quickly as he could. He was a determined to find Bridge and bring his friend back safe and sound. He owed his green teammate that much. He knew it wasn't his fault that Bridge was missing, but he was not going to let the last words Bridge ever heard from him be ones said in anger. Their friendship meant more than that.

"Man, how far away is he?" Jack piped up from just behind Sky.

"Doesn't matter." Sky replied, his voice colored with determination to find his friend.

Before anyone could say more RIC gave a mechanical bark and then shot off quicker than the Rangers could hope to keep up with. Within seconds he was out of sight. The four teammates shared a look. RIC taking off like that could only mean one thing. Bridge was in danger. The thought instantly spurred the Rangers to run faster, but they had no hope of keeping up with RIC. They could only hope that he got there in time to help their wayward teammate.

SSJZBSAK

Bridge had never felt so helpless in his life. The Greenhead had one hand wrapped around his throat and was pinning him to a tree. The blades of its other hand were being slowly pushed into his stomach. It hurt worse than anything ever had. It was a cruel way for the Krybot to kill him when it could have just stabbed his heart or slit his throat. No, obviously it had been programmed to torture Bridge first. Bridge wished he could just throw his body forward enough to end the pain, but he didn't have the strength for it.

"What's the matter little Ranger, does this hurt?" The Krybot taunted.

Bridge couldn't reply with words, but he shot the Greenhead the fiercest glare he could. The robot simply laughed in its malicious mechanical way. Bridge gasped softly as the blade slid just a little bit deeper as he breathed in and out. Why couldn't the Krybot just kill him and get it over with?

What happened next was nothing but a blur. One moment he was being slowly impaled and the next he was on the ground. He looked around, completely dumbfounded and felt his heart suddenly soar when he saw RIC grappling with the Greenhead. The Krybot viciously threw RIC off him, but the canine robot pounced on him again before the Greenhead could get up. Bridge felt his hopes rise a little. RIC probably couldn't beat the super Greenhead Krybot, but the robotic canine could distract it while Bridge got away.

"You can run little Ranger, but I'm not the only thing hunting you out here!" Bridge heard the Krybot call as he made a quick retreat.

SSJZBSAK

Things were just bound and determined not to go smoothly. Sky knew that Gruumm was out to get them, but this was just ridiculous. One moment they had been running full tilt in the direction RIC had gone. The next Z had been jerked to a painful stop with a cry of agony that caught her teammates' attention. Some kind of trap had snapped closed on the Yellow Ranger's leg. Long, sharp metal teeth had easily pierced the suit and were holding Z's leg captive. Had she not been morphed her leg probably would have been snapped in two, but as it was the teeth were grinding against the bone. The Yellow Ranger was trying to be strong, but every little jar tore a whimper from her.

Jack and Sky both tried to grab the teeth to try and pull it apart, but they couldn't get a hold of it. When that didn't work Jack came up with a different plan. He demorphed and had Z do the same. He then phased her through the metal and pulled her away from it. The Red Ranger tore off his uniform jacket and wrapped it tightly around his injured teammate's leg to help stop the bleeding. He tried to be as gentle as he could, hearing her hiss and whimper in pain hurt him almost as much, but he knew it needed to be tight if it was going to do any good.

"Booby traps? Could this get any worse? OW!" Sky glared at the Pink Ranger, who glared back at him from behind her helmet. "What was that for?"

"Things can always get worse Sky, and by saying that you're asking for trouble." Syd retorted.

"I didn't know you were superstitious Syd." Sky replied.

"It's not superstition Sky. It's true."

"Whatever." Sky said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Sky had only taken two steps when his foot caught on something. He pulled his foot and felt whatever it was give way. Sky heard something rustle above his head and looked up just in time to see a steel cage come slamming down around him. Surprise quickly gave way to outrage and he shot a warning glare at the snickering Pink Ranger. She was so used to being on the receiving end of his glares, but Syd wasn't fazed and didn't take the hint.

"Well Sky-."

"Syd." The Blue Ranger growled, the warning in his voice as clear as the glare.

"I hate to say it."

"No you don't." Jack piped up.

"But I told you so."


	5. Chapter 5

Bridge soon figured out what the Greenhead meant when it said it wasn't the only thing hunting him. He had been forced to change his tactic of heedlessly fleeing to stealthily sneaking. There were patrols of Krybots everywhere he turned. Most were just the standard foot soldiers, but there were some Orangeheads. 

What really worried him were the new Purplehead Krybots. There were three of them he had seen so far and they were hunting together, like a pack of wolves, always somewhere around him as if they could sense him but not see him. Along with the Krybots there were still booby traps all over the place and he wasn't having an easy time dodging them along with avoiding his hunters.

Then things just went from bad to worse. One minute he was running and the next he was falling. He let out an undignified squawk and just managed to grab hold of a tree root. His body jerked to a stop and his injured shoulder screamed with agony causing him to hang by just one hand. Bridge let out a ragged, panicked breath and struggled to get a footing. He glanced down and saw nothing but a black pit and could only imagine that spikes probably laced the bottom. 

Using one hand to pull himself up just wasn't an option. With both hands he might have had the strength, but with only one hand there was no way. He considered just hanging there until he could figure out another way out of the situation, but luck just didn’t seem to be on his side. A Purplehead Krybot peered into the hole and Bridge could just imagine that if it could have it would have grinned maniacally at him.

"Play time is over Green Ranger," The Purplehead announced.

Bridge watched as it pointed a very large, very powerful cannon at him. He knew he only had one choice. With a quick prayer he let go and fell into the deep darkness below.

SSJZBSAK

It took them a frustratingly long time to get Sky out of the cage. By the time Syd and Jack managed to get him out the sun was beginning to dip behind the mountain. Darkness was creeping across the land and they knew that was only going to make a search more difficult. The wind was picking up and it didn't take them long to realize a storm was moving in and that was just about the last thing they needed.

"I think there's a higher power out to get us and I don't think it's Gruumm," Sky complained.

No one responded.

Without RIC they had no idea if they were still headed in the right direction, but they were going the way the robotic canine had gone. They soldiered on as one by one they each got a flash of instinctive knowledge that Bridge was in immediate danger. It only lasted a minute, but it was enough for them to pick up the pace, even Jack who was resolutely carrying Z. The Yellow Ranger was still adamant about being a part of the rescue and refused to be left behind in a safe hiding spot to be picked up later. Her teammates knew better than to argue.

"Do you think Gruumm is really trying to kill us this time or is he just toying with us? So far we haven't actually run into any deadly booby traps," Syd mused.

"Isn't that asking for trouble Syd?" Sky asked, his words somewhat mocking.

"It's not the same," Syd retorted.

"If you say so."

Syd's retort was lost by a booming crack to their left. Purple energy soared over her head as Sky tackled her bodily to the ground. Both of them scrambled to their feet and to find cover as Jack and Z hid behind a tree. 

Purple energy seared through the air and Sky felt his stomach ache with the reminder of what that kind of power was capable of doing. Syd heard her two male teammates morph and felt a little more comforted at the fact that she was no longer the only one morphed and ready to fight. Then in unison the three Rangers elevated to SWAT mode. Syd's relief died quickly as another energy cannon boomed its presence as the echo of the first one faded. She and Sky traded hidden looks as the two Purplehead Krybots continued to pound their positions.

"They're not trying to take us out," Jack observed. "They're delaying us."

"Why? Why isn't Gruumm trying to take us all out?" Syd questioned, glancing carefully around the side of her tree. Purple energy buzzed past her head and she jerked back.

"Maybe because he knows he can’t," Sky replied. He leaned around the tree and popped off a few shots with his Delta Enforcer before hiding again. "We're too strong as a team, he's focusing on just making sure one of us doesn't make it."

"Well he's not going to succeed," Jack said in a voice that spoke of his firm resolution to find their wayward teammate. "Now, let's take care of these Krybots."

SSJZBSAK

His whole body ached with a deep throbbing pain that clouded his mind. Without being able to see where the bottom was he had been unable to try a proper landing. Bridge was hurting worse than he had before. He almost didn't want to get up, but he knew that things couldn't get any better if he laid around. On the other side of that particular coin was the fact that things probably wouldn't get worse either.

Bridge forced himself to get up, though a sharp pain in his knee forced him to keep pressure off it. The little hole he had fallen into had a tunnel leading out of it and he knew by the perfect shape of it that it was not a natural formation. He found himself with a choice to make-- he could wait in the hole for either the Krybots to come down and get him or for a rescue of some kind, or he could wander into the tunnel which, given his luck so far, would undoubtedly lead him into more danger.

His choice was made for him when a blast of purple energy seared past his head. He dove into the tunnel as more shots came from above. Bridge's heart skipped a beat as he heard the distinct sound of many Krybots climbing down the hole. 

With his stomach in his throat the injured Green Ranger limped down the tunnel as quickly as he could. He had no idea where it was going, but he knew he couldn't stay and fight a small army of Krybots in the condition he was in. There was only one thing he could do, but he knew in his heart that this was exactly what Gruumm wanted.

SSJZBSAK

Gruumm smirked to himself. The Green Ranger was playing right into his hand. Some might have said he was going through too much trouble for just one Ranger, but he knew the death of the Green Ranger would demoralize the rest of the Rangers like nothing else could. They would never be able to recover from that loss and then he would be able to crush them.

But first Gruumm wanted to see the pesky Ranger suffer as much as possible before he finally gave the order to kill. 

SSJZBSAK

It was nothing they did, Sky was sure of it, the Purpleheads retreated as if they were dogs being called by a master. No one was injured, but damage had still be done; they had wasted valuable time fighting the Krybots. The urgency of the situation was greater than ever. They all had a feeling deep down that Bridge was getting into deeper and deeper trouble.

Jack kneeled down to make sure Z hadn't been caught in the crossfire. He was relieved to find that other than her leg she wasn't hurt anywhere else. He carefully lifted her into his arms and turned to his other teammates. Sky and Syd were both watching him silently waiting to continue. At his nod Sky instantly took off on point while Syd fell in right behind Jack to watch their backs. They moved at a quick pace, hoping they were going in the right direction, without RIC to lead them it was hit or miss.

Suddenly Sky held up his fist in a signal to halt and ducked behind a tree. Syd and Jack followed his example waiting for Sky to indicate what he saw. After a moment Sky signaled that there were four targets, but he was unable to sign which kind of Krybots they were. Jack made a move to look around the tree he was crouched behind, but Sky waved him back. 

None of them dared say a thing as Sky carefully observed their foes. It was four Purplehead and Sky had a sneaking suspicion that it was the same four they had been fighting earlier. What really got his attention was the fact that they appeared to be focused on something on the ground. He could see between their legs and see it wasn't Bridge they were looking at and in fact he couldn't see anything.

After a moment the four Purpleheads were joined by a Greenhead. Normally Sky wouldn't have been able to hear them, but his SWAT mode augmented his hearing. He waited with bated breath hoping to hear something about Bridge.

"So the green brat is down there?" The Greenhead asked.

"Yup, J6-233 chased him down there," One of the Purpleheads said, patting one of the others on the shoulder.

The Greenhead lifted his head to seemingly glare at the Purplehead designated as J6-233. "You better not have hurt him."

"Left him for you sadistic freaks," J6-233 retorted. "We can have our fun with the other ones."

"Gonna call the other Greenies?" One of the other Purpleheads asked.

"And have to share the fun? I think not," The Greenhead replied. "Just shut up and do your job. Don't let those Rangers anywhere close to this hole."

"Oh go suck on some cog oil you stuck up waste of bolts," Another of the Purpleheads growled. "We'll do out job, just make sure to do yours."

Sky felt dread building in his stomach as he listened. These Krybots weren't the average run of the mill dumb as bricks robots they usually fought. These ones had artificial intelligence that made them much more dangerous. Mindless automatons were easy to deal with, but intelligent androids were going to be more of a challenge. Worse than that was the fact that they had indicated that Bridge was close by and that the Greenhead was going to go after him. 

His fear was justified as the Greenhead stepped to where the Purpleheads had been looking and disappeared. A hole? My god what have they been putting Bridge through?

Sky made sure that the Purpleheads weren't looking his way before he quickly moved back to Jack and Syd. They needed a plan and quick. He had a feeling that Bridge's time was running out.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait folks. Life decided to knock me down and then kick me a couple of times while it was at it. It was easy to forget about this with so much going on, but here ya go. I hope you've enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing it way back when.

Their plan was twofold with only one drawback--it required they leave a still unconscious Z defenseless. It was risky, but necessary. 

At Jack's signal, Syd rushed out of hiding while firing her enforcer at the Krybots. Two of the Purpleheads immediately took off after her with their cannons blazing. As soon as they were out of sight Sky and Jack charged the other two. The Krybots never even got shots off in return as hits to their power sources caused them to explode in an impressive show.

Sky wasted no time and with a quick wave, he dropped into the hole. He activated his night vision so that he could see the ground rushing up below him. The highly trained Ranger landed smoothly in a crouch and immediately swung his enforcer around the area making sure the Greenhead wasn't nearby. 

The immediate area was clear and he was able to see there was only one tunnel leading away. Instinctively he checked the tracks on the ground and was able to confirm only two sets of footprints, but his heart gave a lurch when his scanners picked up pools of Bridge’s blood. By the amount of blood he was able to judge that Bridge was bleeding from at least one fairly serious wound. 

With his enforcer ready for trouble Sky set off at a quick pace hoping to catch up with the Greenhead before it caught up with his wayward teammate.

SSJZBSAK

Bridge stumbled and fell against the cold rock wall. He was losing too much blood and his strength was fading. He could sense that he was being followed and knew with growing dread that it wasn't one of his teammates. There was no fight left in him only the impulse to soldier on and hope that the tunnel led back to the surface. He pushed away from the wall and staggered on, painfully aware that his pursuer was close enough for him to hear.

"There's nowhere for you to run little Ranger."

Bridge groaned. Did all bad guys have to be so cliché? He was really getting tired of the taunts. In another place and time where he wasn't seriously injured and on the run he would have set his own trap for the Krybot just to get it to shut up. As it was all he could do was grumble under his breath and stumble on.

And then the tunnel suddenly gave way and the wall he had been using to lean on was gone. He gave a small yelp as he fell on his side, his injuries screaming at the harsh jolt. His resolve to keep going was gone. He was beyond cold and just plain exhausted and there was not enough strength in him to get back up again, not this time.

"Now that's disappointing," a mechanical voice sneered from somewhere close by. Bridge had no way of seeing through the darkness all around him. "I had hoped for a real hunt."

"Sorry...to disappoint," Bridge muttered weakly.

"Oh well, now that I've caught you I think I’ll have a little fun before I kill you."

"I think not!"

The Greenhead Krybot spun to face the new threat. Standing there with a big gun pointed directly at it was the Blue Ranger. The Greenhead snarled at having its fun interrupted. 

Sky pointed his enforcer at the Krybot, but didn't fire. He knew that in Bridge's unmorphed state an explosion could seriously injure him (more than he already was) if not kill him. The amount of blood Bridge was losing made Sky's heart pound harder. If he didn't get his friend back to base and more importantly to the infirmary Bridge was going to bleed to death.

"Step away from him!" Sky ordered fiercely.

The Greenhead growled. "No."

Everything happened so fast that the Krybot never saw it coming. Bridge reached out and snagged the Greenhead's foot and pulled; he didn't have the strength to actually move it, but it caught the Greenhead's attention. It looked down at him for only a second but that was all the time Sky needed. The Blue Ranger lunged forward and slammed the Krybot away from Bridge. There was a brief struggle and the Greehead got in one good slash across Sky's chest, before Sky blasted its head off and watched it explode.

"Sky?"

Sky hurried to his friend's side. "You're going to be okay now, Bridge."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

SSJZBSAK

Syd could feel the purple energy blazing past her as she led the Purplehead Krybots on a merry chase. They seemed determined to catch her, which was okay because she was just as determined not to let them catch her...not until she was ready anyway.

"...repeat, this is SPD shuttle A166 to B-Squad do you copy?"

Syd nearly jumped out of her skin as her comlink suddenly came to life. It didn't even cross her mind to wonder how communications were suddenly working. She listened as Jack automatically responded to the call.

"This is B-Squad. Please tell me you're here to pick us up?"

"My ETA is three minutes," the shuttle pilot replied. "What's your status?"

"We've had some complications down here. Z is injured and unconscious and Sky is looking for Bridge," Jack reported.

"I've found Bridge. He's in desperate need of medical attention and we're going to need a lift out of here," Sky spoke up.

"Roger that. Medics are aboard and will be ready."

"They'll have to come to us," Sky commented. Everyone knew that couldn't mean anything good.

"Syd, what's your status?" Jack asked.

"Just taking care of a few loose ends and then I'll double back," Syd replied, greatly relieved with the new turn of events.

It was time to take care of those pesky Krybots. With practiced ease she came to an instant stop and swung around. The two Purpleheads skidded to halts as well, but the first one was destroyed before it could get a shot off. Then she rolled to the side as the other Purplehead blasted the space she had just been in. It swung to take aim at her again, but three quick and efficient shots from her enforcer destroyed it as well. With that done she headed back to her teammates.

SSJZBSAK

"Sky, I'm really cold," Bridge murmured.

Sky was thankful that Bridge couldn't see his face. He was sure his best friend was going to bleed to death right in front of him and it was tearing him apart. He had already demorphed and was trying to use his shirt to stem the flow of blood, but wasn’t working well. The wounds were deeper than Sky had thought at first and despite his best efforts the bleeding was only slowing a little.

"I know buddy, just hang in there. The medics will be here real soon," Sky replied as calmly as he could. He draped his jacket over his shivering teammate as if that would help anything.

"Sorry."

Sky frowned. "Sorry for what?"

"That I always annoy you so much," Bridge said weakly. "Don't mean to."  
Sky wanted to deny that, but at the same time he didn't want to lie. Bridge did annoy him, a lot sometimes, but that was never any excuse for him to lash out. It wasn't Bridge's fault that he dealt with the effects of his powers by babbling. As his friend, Sky should have understood that. He never should have made Bridge feel unwanted or like he was any kind of burden.

"You're not the one who should be apologizing," Sky said after a few moments of agonizing silence. "I've been a really bad friend to you."

"S'okay, been stressed," came Bridge's murmured and somewhat slurry reply.

Sky swallowed his panic at how far gone Bridge sounded. "It's not okay, Bridge. You're my best friend and I've treated you horribly the past few days."

"Be okay."

Sky grabbed his friend's hand and squeezed. "Stay with me. Help is on the way you only have to hold on a little longer."

"Tried to be strong," Bridge mumbled. "Didn't want you to have to save me again."

"You are strong, Bridge. You might not be physically strong, but you're strong in all the ways that count," Sky told him. "I never would have made it this far."

"Liar."

"No, I'm serious. I can only imagine what kind of hell you've been through, but I know that if I were in your shoes I would have given up a long time ago."

Bridge snorted but remained silent, his eyes flickering shut. Sky squeezed his hand again, making sure Bridge was still conscious. His eyes opened to slits and looked at Sky.

"I'll make it up to you."

"Promise?"

Sky laughed softly. "I promise."

Bridge's eyes slid shut as the sound of approaching feet caught Sky's attention. Immediately he morphed and brought up his deltamax striker to point at the entrance into the cavern they were in. He waited for a few tense moments before two medics appeared carrying a hover-stretcher between them. Sky stood up and moved away to give them room as a third medic entered carrying their gear.

"Sky, report," Jack ordered through the comlink.

"The medics are checking him over now," Sky reported back. "Once they get him onto the stretcher we'll be heading your way."

"We'll be ready."

Sky watched at the medics worked quickly to get his friend stabilized and ready to move. It took a few minutes, but eventually they had temporary patches on the wounds and were able to move Bridge onto the stretcher. 

Sky moved to lead the way just in case any surprises popped up. When he reached the end of the tunnel he found a stasis capsule waiting and stepped aside to let the medics load Bridge into it. He was somewhat wary of it since the stasis capsules were fairly new, but he knew it was the best chance of keeping Bridge alive until they got back to base.

"Incoming!"

The shout from the surface made Sky jump in surprise and he looked up through the hole. Explosions rocked the area and he caught a flash of purple before there were more explosions. The tunnel collapsed suddenly sending waves of rock bouncing through the hole where he and three medics were trying to get Bridge to safety. Sky moved on instinct and drove the three men to the ground and protected them with his morphed body.

"Jack, what's going on?" Sky demanded.

"Purpleheads were bombing the ground and collapsed the tunnel. They were probably trying to catch you guys," Jack answered. "Is everyone okay down there?"

"We're fine. They've got Bridge in the stasis capsule and it's ready to be lifted out whenever you're clear up there," Sky said as he pushed himself back to his feet. He then helped the three medics up.

"We're clear up here," Jack replied.

"Retracting stasis capsule, now," the pilot of the shuttle announced.

With a mechanical whir the stasis capsule slowly lifted off the ground and Sky watched it go feeling like the nightmare was finally coming to an end. With the communications open again Jack was reporting back to Delta Command on the situation. They still had one more problem to deal with. Those Purpleheads were still buzzing around and trying to take potshots at the shuttle. The only thing keeping the Krybots at bay was Syd and Jack's constant protection with their enforcers. Once they were all inside the shuttle there would be no defense against the attackers. 

Kat had a simple solution for that problem.

"I'm sending the SWAT flyers. ETA is five minutes."

Once the stasis capsule was detached from the winch it was replaced by a harness and lowered back into the hole. The medics were then lifted out one-by-one and when they were all safely on the surface Sky was lifted out. He quickly joined his teammates in their defense of the shuttle. 

Five minutes passed by slowly as they endured barrage after barrage. Then to make things more difficult swarms of the regular old Krybots began to swarm from every direction. It was as if Gruumm could sense his prize being stolen from him and was throwing everything he had at them. RIC joined the fight from out of nowhere and then just when things looked really desperate the SWAT flyers buzzed over in autopilot mode.

Sky wanted to stay with his friend's stasis capsule more than anything, but he knew his duty was to protect the shuttle and get it back to Delta Command safely. Only he, Jack, and Syd were in any condition to pilot their flyers. Z was conscious, but the medics insisted on taking care of her leg. 

Sky was confident that three flyers were enough against a few Krybots. For once that day he was right. The Purpleheads were much too small to be a threat to the flyers and through sheer luck Gruumm didn't send a robot to stop them. The flight back to base was smooth and uneventful. Sky breathed a sigh of relief.

SSJZBSAK

Sky didn't even realize he had closed his eyes until a touch to his shoulder startled him. He jerked in surprise and looked up into Syd's smiling face, taking the cup of coffee she offered him. He knew what was coming next. She was going to tell him to go get some rest, that waiting around wasn't going to make Kat report anything any quicker.

"Any word yet?"

Sky sighed deeply. "Nope."

"Sky-."

"I know, I know. I should be resting not wasting my time sitting here," Sky cut her off with an annoyed edge to his voice. "I don't want to hear it."

"You said it, not me," Syd shot back, just as annoyed at his attitude. She sighed and calmed herself down. "What I was actually going to say was that none of this is your fault and you shouldn't blame yourself for it."

Sky blinked in surprise. "I don't-."

"Yes you do," Syd interrupted his denial. "You're sitting there beating yourself up for multiple reasons, all of which you had no control over."

"Not all of them," and the softness in his voice surprised Syd. "If we hadn't found him in time the last thing I said to him would have been words of anger. I actually made him feel like he was inferior to me."

"He knows you didn't really mean it," Syd replied comfortingly. "It's Bridge we're talking about. He doesn't hold grudges."

"It's not grudges I'm worried about," Sky said. "When we were talking underground he made it sound like it was no real accomplishment that he survived so long. I think I really did some damage to his self esteem."

"I'm sure it's nothing that can't be repaired, Sky," Syd told him gently. "Don't be so hard on yourself."

"I know, but a real friend never would have said those things to him."

"Well, you've got all the time in the world to make it up to him," Kat announced as she approached from the infirmary. "Dr. Felix is still doing some minor work, but he says Bridge is going to be fine. A few days of rest and recuperation and he'll be back to his usual cheerful self."

"Can we see him?" Sky asked hopefully.

Kat shook her head with an apologetic smile. "Not yet. He needs rest and so do you. Get some sleep Sky, he'll be here when you wake up."

Sky wanted to argue, but at that moment Commander Cruger approached and Kat shot him a knowing look. If Sky didn't go on his own she would have Cruger order him. Sky sighed in defeat and got up followed by Syd. 

As soon as he was on his feet Sky realized just how tired he was. He hadn't slept at all since arriving back at base, not even when he was confined to an infirmary bed while they took care of his stomach, which had mild one degree burns. He sleepily let Syd lead him back to the personal quarters. She wished him goodnight, which he returned, before he disappeared inside.

He went about his bedtime preparation with his mind only half on the tasks. His gaze kept sweeping over to his roommate's empty bed. He knew they were all lucky that Bridge had survived. If he had ever doubted Bridge, which on occasion he had, those doubts were long gone. He would never doubt his friend ever again. More than that he was thankful for the chance to repair the damage he had done to their friendship. He had been offered a second chance to be a real friend to Bridge and he was going to take it.


End file.
